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Thursday

Law

Judge Throws Out Case Against Blackwater Guards

A federal judge dismissed all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in the deadly shooting of civilians in Baghdad in 2007. The judge said the Justice Department's explanations have been contradictory, unbelievable and not credible. Del Quentin Wilber, federal courts reporter for The Washington Post, offers his insight.

Judge Throws Out Case Against Blackwater Guards

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World

Ex-Guantanamo Inmates Among Detroit Plot Planners

Four members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the group that claimed responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day airliner attack, were previously detainees at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although most Guantanamo detainees have returned to their old lives, several have rejoined the battlefield.

Ex-Guantanamo Inmates Among Detroit Plot Planners

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Music Interviews

John Doe, The Sadies Rock The 'Country Club'

Fresh Air

The veteran punk rocker John Doe embraced his inner mountain man on Country Club, an album of classic country covers he recorded with The Sadies. The Canadian rockers and the former X frontman joined Terry Gross in the Fresh Air studio for an interview and an intimate performance. (Rebroadcast from April 2009.)

John Doe, The Sadies Rock The 'Country Club'

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Fishermen Reeling Over Red Snapper Fishing Ban

Red snapper caught by commercial fishermen await shipment on a dock in South Carolina. South Atlantic Fishery Management Council/AP hide caption

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South Atlantic Fishery Management Council/AP

Business

Fishermen Reeling Over Red Snapper Fishing Ban

A federal ban on fishing for red snapper, one of the most prized saltwater fish, is set to take effect Jan. 4 -- part of an effort to bring back the species in the Atlantic Ocean. But coastal fishing towns that rely on business from anglers say the ban could take a huge economic toll.

Fishermen Reeling Over Red Snapper Fishing Ban

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Music Interviews

'Texas Sheik' Mixes Old Sounds With New Style

Fresh Air

Emmy Award-winning musician Geoff Muldaur has collaborated with artists from Jerry Garcia to Bonnie Raitt. His latest album with his band the Texas Sheiks draws on his jazz and blues background. He shares more from his past -- as well as a few tunes -- in the Fresh Air studio.

'Texas Sheik' Mixes Old Sounds With New Style

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California Will Begin 2010 With Massive Budget Gap

KQED

California's dismal financial straits this year are just a prelude to what the state can expect in terms of budget woes in 2010. Legislators and the governor battled through much of 2009 to close a $60 billion budget gap. Now they are looking at another, bigger tidal wave of red ink in coming months.

California Will Begin 2010 With Massive Budget Gap

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Economy

Economy Lags Behind Stock Market As 2009 Ends

The year ends for the economy on a far more hopeful note than it began — especially for financial markets. The economy recovered from the worst recession since the Great Depression, while the stock market is a lot better than it used to be. Steve Inskeep rounds up the year in finance and economics with David Wessel, who is the economics editor at The Wall Street Journal.

Economy Lags Behind Stock Market As 2009 Ends

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Economy

Economy Casts Pall On Administration's Goals

The lackluster economy has hung over everything the Obama administration tried to do this year. Rising unemployment dogged the president throughout his first year in office. Obama spent several days huddled with economic advisors before leaving on his Hawaiian vacation. The White House faces many challenges as it tries to put more people back to work in 2010.

Economy Casts Pall On Administration's Goals

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County Budget Shortfall May Close Nursing Home

North Country Public Radio

Across the country, local governments are wrapping up a brutal year, with slipping tax revenues and sharp declines in state aid. The shortfalls come at a time when towns and cities are struggling to provide more services, from food kitchens to health care. In northern New York, local leaders in Elizabethtown may be forced to close the county-run nursing home.

County Budget Shortfall May Close Nursing Home

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Economy

Jobless Factory Worker Trains For Office Work

North Country Public Radio

The recession may be officially over, but that's little consolation to people who lost their jobs when it first began. A laid off worker from a Corning plant in Canton, N.Y., has been collecting unemployment and living a thrifty life. She's taken a medical terminology class to become a receptionist in a doctor's office, and now is dipping her toe into the anemic job market.

Jobless Factory Worker Trains For Office Work

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Business

Recession Fuels Spike In Foreign Investor Visas

A largely unknown visa program allows foreigners who invest half a million dollars in an American business to immigrate to the U.S. The number of people moving to the States under the program has tripled in the past year as domestic sources of financing have dried up.

Recession Fuels Spike In Foreign Investor Visas

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Fragile Recovery On The Horizon For Housing

Songwriter Jonathan Downing and his wife, Tiffany Sewell, bought a house that still needs some work in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The combination of record low interest rates, lower prices, and a tax credit for first-time homebuyers is creating incentives for some people to take the plunge into homeownership. Chris Arnold/NPR hide caption

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Chris Arnold/NPR

Economy

Fragile Recovery On The Horizon For Housing

Existing single-family home sales rose nearly 20 percent over just the past couple of months. But prices in most places are not going up, thanks to a glut of foreclosures. Still, housing construction is expected to go from being a big drag to being a small positive.

Fragile Recovery On The Horizon For Housing

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First Up For High Court In 2010: Campaign Finance

Law

First Up For High Court In 2010: Campaign Finance

When the Supreme Court reconvenes in January, it will decide a case that could redefine the role of corporations in political campaigns. Meanwhile, in the lower courts, the number of judicial vacancies has doubled during President Obama's time in office — as Republicans try to minimize his effect on the courts.

First Up For High Court In 2010: Campaign Finance

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